Member's Press Release

CHARLESTON, W.V. – Senate President Pro Tempore Larry Edgell (D-Wetzel) announced today he, along with Senate President Jeff Kessler (D-Marshall) and his Senate colleagues from the northern panhandle, have secured funding for the completion of the Benwood Mine Disaster Memorial.

On April 28, 1924, an explosion at the Benwood Mine of the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation’s steel mill tragically claimed the lives of 119 coal miners. It remains the third worst coal mining disaster in the State of West Virginia.

Senator Edgell, along with Senators Jack Yost (D-Brooke) and Rocky Fitzsimmons (D-Ohio), spoke with President Kessler who helped them successfully secured the $11 thousand needed to complete the memorial.

“The miners who lost their lives in the Benwood mine disaster deserve a memorial that pays tribute to their ultimate sacrifice,” says Fitzsimmons. “We could not have helped complete this important project without the leadership of Senate President Kessler."

The Marshall County Historical Society - Benwood Mine Disaster Memorial Fund Committee was formed in 2011 and has been working toward establishing a permanent memorial in Benwood for the victims of this disaster.